Junior School News 

• From the Head of the Junior School
• Group and Individual Photos
• Junior School Sport
• From the Junior Resource Centre 
• Junior Chess
• Junior IPSHA Debating

From the Head of the Junior School

FLU SEASON

The winter chills have certainly arrived, and we are seeing the flu season impacting on the Pius community. The pandemic is now officially over and we are now learning to assess for COVID and manage the recovery. 

The pandemic taught us many good hygiene practices that sustained us over the last few years. All indications highlight that the flu season has certainly struck, and our medical practitioners fear a big flu season as we are seeing at the college, with growing absenteeism of our students.

Can I remind the community of the following practices that we know well and need to be reinforced:

• If your son is unwell with flu like symptoms, please test for COVID. Many of our students who are unwell are testing negative for COVID but have contracted influenza and/or a cold.
• If unwell with colds, flu or COVID please keep your son home until all symptoms have gone.
• Hand hygiene is most important in preventing the spread of the flu and we encourage the use of hand sanitisers that are a legacy of the COVID pandemic in society now at large.
• When coughing or sneezing please cover up, including using tissues, sneezing into your arm to prevent the spread of any germs.  
• We certainly encourage the wearing of masks if any student is suffering from symptoms and also for their own protection.

The flu season is predicted to affect more than normal this year, due to the relief of coming through the pandemic. Please remain vigilant with your son and we will equally reinforce good hygiene practices for the good health of everyone.

The College has a good supply of RAHT kits to be easily collected from Student Reception. Please send your son to collect or collect personally, to continue to monitor for COVID as we strive to reduce the spread of any flu like symptoms.

SOCIAL JUSTICE / YOUTH MINISTRY

Last week, Nicholas Lindsell, 5 Blue Class Captain, headed over the road to Mercy College to join in their Youth Ministry meeting.

On 24 May I joined a group of St Pius X and Mercy College representatives at a meeting to discuss ways to fix problems in the community. We also discussed those people who have been affected by different events such as war, racism, bullying and more.  We talked about how to 'See, Judge and Act' on these problems while recognising how grateful people are even if they are living in poor conditions or giving up all they have to help someone else in need. 

Thank you to Mr Balboa the Mercy representatives and teachers for the wonderful afternoon.

by Nicholas Lindsell (5 Blue)

YEAR 6 PLAYDATE

A number of Year 6 boys and their families enjoyed an afternoon play date organised by the Year 6 Class parents last weekend.  By all reports, it was a great way to reconnect with some old friends whilst getting to know some new families.  Thank you to all our Class Parents for their work behind the scenes to facilitate events for families in the Junior School. 

RECONCILIATION DAY

On Monday, the Junior School joined the rest of the College for a special Smoking Ceremony to commemorate Reconciliation Day. This meaningful event, rooted in Indigenous culture and traditions, served as a powerful reminder of the importance of reconciliation, highlighting our commitment to building stronger relationships and embracing cultural diversity. 

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Wednesday 7 June | Junior School Athletics Carnival (Homebush)

Monday 12 June | King’s Birthday Public Holiday

Wednesday 21 June | Semester 1 Reports issued

Thursday 22 June | Last day of Term 2 for students

Friday 23 June | Parent/Teacher/Student interviews 8:00 am – 5:30 pm (online)

Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School. 

Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School

Year, Individual and Group Photos

On Friday 16 June, the College will be having Year Group and Individual Photos during Period 1 – 4. During Periods 5 and 6 the Performing Arts photos will be taken. A running order of photos will be included in next week’s Woodchatta. Students must have their ID card on the day.

Ms Leisa Proc - General Coordinator

Junior School Sport

Thursday Sport: Winter sessions continue this week for Rugby, Football and Australian Rules Football (AFL). Please travel to and from school in your SPX PE uniform and bring along a change of clothes to train in.

Dance Session #1: Boys will be taking part in a reduced sport training session on Thursday 1st June when not involved in dance so they are expected to bring boots, mouthguards, shin pads as appropriate to the sport they are playing.

Saturday Sport Photos: It has been great to see some of the photos taken by our SPX parents over the first few rounds of the Winter season. Can I encourage you to continue sharing any Saturday sport photos with the following staff members responsible for each Junior School sport:

• Football – Mr Ben Ryan bryan@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
• Rugby – Mr Antonio Morris amorris@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
• Australian Rules Football – Mr Glen Carroll gcarroll@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au  

Winter Sport Registration: A reminder to parents and carers who have not yet processed their son’s registration through trybooking to click on the link below and follow the prompts please. Thank you to those who have already completed this process. The link will remain open until 2 June. 

https://www.trybooking.com/CHBSQ

Junior Athletics Carnival: The Junior School House Carnival takes place on Wednesday 7 June at the Sydney Olympic Park Warm-up venue, Homebush. A detailed letter and Carnival Program will be available on the SPX App this week. Thank you to those parents and carers who have volunteered to assist on the day. I kindly ask for any further volunteers to email me at the College bryan@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au to indicate your availability by the end of this week (2 June). You may be asked to assist at the recording table or help a staff member with a field event. 

Junior Football: It is always a pleasure to host St Augustine’s at our Oxford Falls campus, as we know it will be a hard fought competition between sides. Last weekend was no different with the 11A – 11D teams taking on our closest rivals. Whilst St Augustine’s proved too good on the day, there was plenty of enterprising play from the SPX 11C and 11D teams who up until this game were undefeated. The 11A and 11B teams also found themselves in a tight game which resulted in their first loss this season. Our games against Newington Lindfield will be a great opportunity to improve on their recent performance.

COERVER Football camp is on during the holidays, from 26 – 28 June. We encourage footballers to take this opportunity to participate in this intensive football training during the school holidays. A bendy bus has been booked to assist with travel needs. We urge anyone wishing to book a place on the bus, to book and secure their place promptly. Active Kids vouchers can be used.  See the flyer below and book by the link: https://coerver.com.au/holiday-camps 

Karate:

Last week, Richie Spencer (5 Blue) fought in the Australian Kyokushin Karate Association NSW Championships. 

Fighting against an older and taller opponent who holds a brown belt in the final, Richie did incredibly well but just fell short of securing a gold medal. We are very proud of Richie securing a Silver medal and congratulate him for putting in such an incredible display of skill and tenacity. What is equally impressive is the fact it was Richie's first fight in the 10-12 middle weight category. Hanshee John Taylor was present to hand out the medals. We look forward to hearing more of Richie’s Karate journey as the years progress.

Illness/Injury: Thank you to the many parents and carers who have emailed me or their son’s coach in the lead up to games to indicate their unavailability due to illness. Whilst I know for some boys, they are desperate to play no matter their condition, I would ask that if your son is too ill for school on Friday, then he should not be playing on the Saturday, especially if showing signs/symptoms of flu, COVID or any other respiratory infection. It would be at that point on Thursday evening or Friday before midday at the latest, I ask you to email me so I can plan for ensuring team numbers are as suitable as possible for the Saturday fixture.

For the love of the game: I am pleased to hear that there has been great spirit and appropriate encouragement shown during games from all involved; spectators, coaches, and parents. This is tremendous feedback and I thank all for your continued adherence to our code of conduct across all activities as we move into the second half of the draw.

Cross Country:

Cross Country training continues this week. All students wanting to prepare for the Athletics season are encouraged to join, especially those interested in track events. 

When: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings

Where: Beauchamp Park, Chatswood 

Time: 7:15 am – 8:15 am 

Mr Ben Ryan - Junior School Sports Coordinator

AFL: 

The AFL’s 'Sir Doug Nicholls Round' celebrates the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to the game of football and to our country, highlighted by the fantastic jerseys and symbolic ceremonies witnessed across the round. As with many Junior clubs over the weekend, our SPX Australian Rules team were part of the conversation in our clash against Newington. After an intimate acknowledgement of country in our team huddle during the warm-up, our team wore armbands of black, yellow and red tape. As a school team, we chose to take this small step to honour the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and their contribution to Australian Football, and how players past and present have inspired generations of Australians. I would particularly like to thank Felix Keeler (5 Gold)  for leading this initiative. While on the scoreboard SPX came out the winners, I have no doubt that it was our small display of solidarity that inspired important conversations in the car ride home or the dining tables of all in attendance following the game. It was a privilege for us to play a small part in the 'Sir Doug Nicholls Round' and I hope we are able to continue supporting the reconciliation process in the years to come. 

Mr Glen Carroll - AFL Convenor

Junior Rugby: The Prep Firsts put on another fine display of rugby at home in front of an enthusiastic crowd of supporters. The boys look sharp and continue to develop their combinations as a team. They put on a dominant display against Mosman Preparatory School.  The U11As had a bye. They were deserving of a break after two fantastic high- contact training sessions during the week. There were a few new inclusions in the Rugby 7s team this week. These players slotted in seamlessly and played well in both games, notching up two good wins.

Rugby Training: A reminder of compulsory after school training at Beauchamp Oval every Wednesday from 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm for ALL Junior School Rugby players. In addition to bringing rugby boots, can players also bring a spare pair of sneakers to training each week.

Mr Antonio Morris - Junior School Rugby Convenor

SPX College Football Supporter's Day Saturday 3 June at Oxford Falls

Please sign on to the volunteer roster today (click the link):

https://signup.zone/gsJSyYippYGkA3wgB

We’ll need lots of volunteer support in the BBQ Shed and on the Bake Sale. It is good fun, a great way to meet other football families and it helps to raise more money for our young men’s football coaching. 

Please consider committing an hour or two of your time on Saturday. 

 From the SPX Football Supporters Club Committee

spxfsc@gmail.com

SPX Rugby Club – Gala Dinner

Save the Date - Saturday, 22 July, Kirribilli Club­­­.

6:30 pm - 11:30 pm

Ticket Sales - a link to purchase your tickets will be sent to the SPX Rugby WhatsApp and email groups later this week.

Ticket numbers will be limited so get in quick.

SPX Rugby WhatsApp Group

Scan the QR Code below to be part of the Rugby WhatsApp group and receive key club information and event details.

Please direct any enquiries to spxrugby@gmail.com.

SPX Rugby Committee

Interschool Snowsports Competition

The 2023 Interschool Snowsports competition will be held at Perisher Ski Resort from Tuesday 4 July to Friday 7 July.

The college has approved for students to enter this competition representing St Pius X College.  All participants enter this competition at their own cost and parents are required to sign a liability waiver form.

Parents will also be required to attend the event and meet volunteering requirements of the competition.  Further details of the competition are in the attached document.

Please contact Mrs Cathy Thomson on cathythomson7@gmail.com if your son (and family) is interested in participating in this competition. 

From the Junior Resource Centre

This week’s Highlights are: 

RECONCILIATION WEEK 2023

Reconciliation Week is an opportunity to learn about our shared histories and cultures and to establish a relationship with each other based on truth. It is a week about having challenging conversations and taking the time to listen. In support of this important week the JRC is shining a spotlight on some of our favourite Indigenous authors and stories, beginning with ‘Sorry Day’ by Coral Vass, illustrated by Dub Leffler, ‘Took the Children Away’ by Archie Roach and illustrated by Ruby Hunter, ‘Welcome to Country’ by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy.

During our library lessons this week we encouraged students to learn about reconciliation and use their voice to support change.

   Books in our Library

The Innovative Teacher Librarian Conference

On Monday I was fortunate enough to attend the AISNSW Teacher Librarian Conference at NSW State Library. Cathie Warburton, Chief Executive Officer of ALIA spoke about teacher librarians, how they are an essential ingredient in Whole School Thinking.

A great library mission statement shared by Cathie Warburton, simple and to the point: 

‘You belong as you are

We start where you are

A learning journey with you

Let’s make it fun.’       Bendigo Library

‘We need to listen to understand – engagement is key in schools, and TLs have a whole school lens.' #AISNSWTL

The day continued with a panel of technologists chatting about AI and ChatGPT and their applications in a library context. So many great suggestions!

It concluded with an author talk - Will Kostakis. He spoke about his new novel for YA ‘We Could Be Something’, it was an afternoon filled with inspiration, laughter, and thought- provoking discussions.

Mrs Martin’s Book Trail: How to be Prime Minister and Survive Grade 5 by Carla Fitzgerald.

This is such a fantastically funny middle grade novel about how Harper has to run the country when her father, the PM of Australia disappears to a ‘conference’. She finds herself torn between ideas – should she ban plastic bottles? Or make weekends longer? Can she prove a kid can lead the country better than a grown up? With themes of courage, environmental activism and familial love this is the perfect book for our future PMs.

Ms Elena Martin - Teacher Librarian

Junior Chess

Chess teams A, C, D, E and F will play at HOME this week, 2 June. Team B has a BYE. Please check the draw for more details. Thank you to the parents who transported the boys last week.

Ms Elena Martin - Junior School Chess Convenor

Junior School IPSHA Debating

This week our teams take on Oxford Falls Grammar on the topic 'That we should ban sports on concrete playgrounds'.  The following boys have been busy preparing for their debates and we wish them well; Levi Azar, Alex Nunes, Michael Capra and High Slack-Smith for the affirmative while Noah Menezes, Charlie Wilcox, Lachlan Yu and Will Tully form the team for the negative. Parents are welcome to attend the debates from 1:00 pm at Oxford Falls Grammar Junior School.

In Round 2, we were successful in both debates against Mosman Prep. Well done boys.

Mr Paul Cummins - IPSHA Debating Coordinator